1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tuner mounting device for mounting a tuner to a musical instrument.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a mounting device for a conventional tuner which is directly mounted to an instrument, and which displays the tuning state of a sound generated from the instrument on a display portion, there has widely been adopted a clip type device which is mainly of a clothespin-like configuration (see, for example, JP 2003-255932 A).
A tuner of this type has in its main body a vibration sensor and a microphone as main input devices.
In many cases a generally used clip type tuner has a joint-like structure in a connecting portion between the clip portion and the main body portion.
This is due to the necessity to direct the display portion such that it is easily visible to the user when the clip is mounted to the instrument. In many cases, such a clip type tuner has a joint mechanism of two or more axes.
As illustrated in FIG. 25, a clip-type tuner is mounted to a part of an instrument 600 by the grasping force of a clip 100 connected to a tuner main body.
The clip 100 includes a pair of arms 101 and 102 having grasping portions 103 and 104 on the inner sides of the respective distal end portions thereof, and an opening/closing portion 105 containing an elastic member such as a spring urging the pair of arms 101 and 102 so as to close the distal end portions of the pair of arms 101 and 102.
Since the instrument part (e.g., head portion of a guitar) 600 is held between the distal end portions of the arms 101 and 102 by the urging force of the elastic member (not shown) constituting the opening/closing portion 105 of the clip 100, when the instrument part 600 is inserted to a position where it is brought into contact with the opening/closing portion 105, which is a hard structure situated at the depth of the clip, with the distal end portions of the arms 101 and 102 of the clip 100 being open, there is a risk that the instrument is scratched.
In order that the instrument to which the tuner is mounted may not easily be scratched, the grasping portions 103 and 104 provided on the inner sides of the distal end portions of the pair of arms 101 and 102 of the clip 100 are often formed of a soft material such as rubber.
When, for example, rubber is used as the material of the grasping portions 103 and 104, there is a risk that the rubber is allowed to be rubbed off on the instrument depending upon the kind of rubber, thus staining the expensive instrument.
Further, in the case of the clip-type instrument, it cannot be mounted to a large object whose side is beyond the movable range of the opening/closing portion 105 of the clip. As illustrated in FIG. 26, in the case, in particular, of a fat-tube instrument like a bass instrument, the mounting of the tuner to a fat tube portion 601 may be rather difficult to perform.
Many generally used clip-type tuners have a joint mechanism of two axes or more, and contain a vibration sensor for detecting vibration generated upon operation of the instrument and transmitted therefrom. FIGS. 27 and 28 schematically illustrate the construction of a tuner in which a tuner main body 700 is connected to the clip 100 via a connecting portion 702 containing a joint mechanism.
FIG. 28 illustrates how vibration generated from the instrument is propagated via the clip 100 to a vibration sensor 701 contained in the tuner main body 700.
In FIGS. 27 and 28, the tuner main body 70 is fixed to the instrument part (e.g., head portion of a guitar) 600 by means of the clip 100.
When the instrument is operated in this state, vibration 250 generated from the instrument is propagated, as illustrated in FIG. 28, in the following order: the instrument part 600 to which the tuner main body 700 is fixed by the clip 100, the clip 100, the connecting portion 702 (joint mechanism), and the vibration sensor 701 in the tuner main body 700. When there exist rubber, a hinge, a joint mechanism, etc. in the propagation route for the vibration 250, the vibration 250 generated from the instrument is attenuated at this joint mechanism portion, making it rather difficult in some cases to obtain a sufficient sensitivity for the tuner. In particular, in an instrument in which the vibration generated through playing quickly attenuates as in the case of a string instrument, the failure to obtain a sufficient sensitivity may prove fatal to the tuning performance of the product.
In order to improve the sensitivity of a clip-type tuner, it is more important to provide the tuner on the clip side so that the tuner is close to the instrument during use of the tuner, than to provide within the tuner main body a vibration sensor for detecting the vibration generated from the instrument. This is due to the fact that the larger the length of the propagation route for the vibration 250, the larger the degree to which the vibration 250 is attenuated.
When, in the clip-type tuner, it is necessary to provide a vibration sensor on the clip side, it is necessary to electrically connect the vibration sensor provided on the clip side and an electronic circuit contained in the tuner main body. However, as described above, the joint mechanism exists between the clip and the tuner main body, and the joint mechanism, which is freely movable, constitutes an obstacle to attaining electrical connection.
At present, the commercially available clip-type tuners that are provided with a vibration sensor on the clip side have a connecting portion of a very complicated structure between the clip and the tuner main body. Due to the complicated structure of the connecting portion between the clip and the tuner main body, the clip-type tuner provided with a vibration sensor on the clip side is subject to failure, resulting in many claims from the users and high cost due to its structure.